Out Of The Depths Of Misery Comes Grace

Have you ever felt like Job, from the bible, full of despair and deep in the throes of Misery? It is Sunday today, and I am on day 4 of a miserable cold. Today, I am reading from Job 18: 1-11. The Word speaks of Job being in the depths of misery because of his afflictions, he was physically, mentally and emotionally distraught and brought to his knees by illness, suffering and loss. He was so buried in his misery that God had to come to him in a whirlwind so that Job would take notice of God's presence. We have all from time to time been there, in the depths of misery because of illness, loss or through suffering, feel the total desolation of despair. It feels isolating and lonely to be in such a black hole by ourself. God reaches us and grabs our attention to remind us that He is above all things, and nothing happens to us without first going thru God's filter.

As horrible as I feel in the depths of my cold, there has been a reason for my affliction, a sense of purpose to my suffering. I have been forced to rest, something I normally do not do on my own. As a fulltime mom, fulltime college student and online business owner, rest is not normally a part of my days and a stranger who visits for just part of my nights. God has to sometimes grab our attention and bring us to our knees to listen to His wisdom and remember that He is Sovereign. He alone is the filter in our lives. Through our suffering, we are brought to our knees, where we remember to be with our Father in Heaven and to stay close to Him who guides us and protects us, because He created us and loves us dearly.

It is good for me to be reminded that I do not have to do it all on my own. I do not have to be "Super-Mom", or "Perfect Straight A College Student", or even the "tycoon of the internet". I certainly do not need to be all three at once or even one at a time. I simply need to be me, the wonderful being that God created. Life is easier when we take the time to be in God's Word, early each morning to drink in the wisdom God has written there for us. Spending time with God in His Word, and in prayer, gives direction to our lives, His direction. Direction that steers us to the many blessings that God prepares for us.

My forced days of rest has given me plenty of time to heal, not only from my cold, but from my need to be "Super" at all I do, I have remembered how important it is to rest when needed, and to be happy with the me that God created, rather than the "me" that I created.